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the Wire

Man

Streeter’s art
is filled with Vannoy Streeter works
details. In this on a wire sculpture of a
sculpture of a horse. Walking horses
guitar player
notice the strap, were a significant part
of Streeter’s life and a
the strings and frequent subject of his art.
tuning pegs.

vAnnoy streeter’s Artist vision exPressed in wire H
story by John i. cArney
h is tools were a pair of pliers. his medium was wire coat james mclean, one of streeter’s adopted children. streeter

hangers.
married the former ezella marie mclean in 1965, and helped
from these unassuming things, the late vannoy raise her eight children as his own.
streeter created hundreds of art pieces and a legend. james mclean said the extended family members, including
streeter’s wire sculptures were displayed at the white house grandchildren, probably own “a couple hundred” of streeter’s
and at the u.s. embassy in beijing. he was a demonstrating works, and some allow them to be used for exhibits from time
artist at the national black Arts festival to time. for example, the works were
in Atlanta, and was named a heritage displayed at various murfreesboro-area
craftsman by the southern highland ‘If you had met him, you schools during january and february.
handicraft guild. his pieces were sought the family does not sell the artwork.
after by collectors nationwide. had a friend for life’ there are, of course, many more
streeter, nicknamed “the wire – James McLean of streeter’s works in private hands.
man,” used pliers to bend coat hangers mclean said streeter’s sculptures were
into amazing representational art — popular as gifts.
tennessee walking horses, elvis in full voice, trucks and streeter was born in 1919 in wartrace. he and his family
airplanes and more. with just coat-hanger wire, he created moved to a horse farm. the farm would later specialize in
shapes and structures with depth and body. tennessee walking horses, a favorite streeter subject, but at
According to the tennessee encyclopedia, streeter bought the time it trained mixed thoroughbreds to pull buggies.
new coathangers, 500 to a box, and also used bracing wire for streeter eventually worked as a stable hand for floyd
larger pieces and fine-gauge wire for detail work. carothers, who rode strolling jim to the very first tennessee
It’s been 20 years since streeter’s death, but he is far from walking horse world grand championship in 1939. he later
forgotten. worked as an orderly at bedford county hospital and as a
“we’re basically just trying to keep the memory alive,” said janitor during the walking horse celebration.

22 Salute